Coming Back
by LadyFrederic
Summary: All the memories are returning to Estelle of the life they led together... One-shot. Based on the song by Celine Dion.


Estelle walked into her room, trying fiercely to not look at the turned-down photo lying on her bedside table; but she failed, and quite miserably, in fact. Almost against her will, the pink-haired princess approached the warped wooden counter and picked up the picture, sitting with a plop in one of the overly plush chairs in her room and looked wistfully at the image. It was a portrait of herself and that man—the man whom she had known _before_ he broke her heart—done by the finest artist in all the world to be small enough to fit in the minute frame. Estelle tried to tear her eyes away, but she was forced to continue looking, tiny droplets forming at the corners of her eyes. In a sudden rush, months of memories came pouring back to her, months filled with pleasure, pain, and ache…

_ The princess looked up suddenly as a sharp knock came at her door. "Yes, who is it?" she called out, completely wrapped up in her book._

_ "It's me," came the reply. Estelle at once leapt out of her chair and opened the door, revealing the tall, dark swordsman who stood there, gazing beseechingly at her. "I… couldn't stay away…" the man smiled._

_ Estelle smiled back, motioning for the figure to join her in her room. "How's the Guild been?"_

_ "Estelle, I need to tell you something," the man said suddenly. She walked towards him, eyes wondering. What could be so serious? They had defeated the Adephagos not a month ago… Why was her friend acting this way?_

_ "What is it? You can tell me anything." Her heart was beating frantically in her chest, wanting so badly to take the swordsman in her arms, to comfort him and tell him how she felt, how she always felt. She wished to shower him with compassion and devotion, to let him know she would always be his, whether he took her or not; but, instead, she merely stayed quiet and played the role of a concerned companion._

_ The man sat on her bed and looked down at his hands. "I'm… in love…" The words cut the princess to the core, her eyes widened, and her knees began to shake. She stopped her body's convulsions, however, as the man slowly raised his eyes to look at her. "But she has no idea how I feel for her…" Estelle went and sat down next to him, trying desperately to keep tears from flooding her eyes._

_ "I'm sure that's not true… But… have you tried telling her?" The princess kept the ice out of her voice, trying to think about the man and how she wanted his happiness before her own._

_ "I could never just tell her… That seems so impersonal. I'd want to… I don't know... _Show_ her more than tell her."_

_ "Than why don't you show her? You could give her flowers, or an exquisite piece of jewelry, or…" Estelle's voice trailed off and she attempted to stop the blush from covering her entire face._

_ "Or what?" her companion asked._

_ "You could just kiss her, I guess. Walk right up to her and kiss her—you'd catch her totally off guard and her immediate reaction would show you how she felt for you. It might be best, though, to get her talking or she might see it coming. You could ask her about her fav—" Estelle was silenced as gentle lips engulfed her own. She uttered a little squeak of surprise and her eyes grew huge as she realized what he was doing. The princess felt remarkably foolish, but shrugged the sentiment off, relishing in the kiss and throwing herself on the man, causing him to fall back on the bed. There they kissed, stopping only when Estelle's breathing became fast and sharp. _

_ "Do you think that'll work?" the man asked her._

_ Estelle blushed and leaned forward, preparing to kiss the man again. "Most definitely…"_

Estelle, now back in the present, shook her head, dispelling the memory. A smile had formed on her lips, but was instantly replaced with a downcast frown. How she wished to see him now, to see that man.

An unexpected knock came at her door, and the princess got up at once, wondering at who it could be. As she got closer to the door, the girl saw a slip of paper slide under her door. She picked it up and read the note. Her heart swelled with hope at once and she grabbed her cloak as it was nearing eleven at night. The note came from one of her friends from the Lower Quarter. It said that the man in question was back, staying in his room for one night. Acting on a feeling, Estelle decided to go see him, to see if the love for him would flourish as it once did…

_"Are you okay, Estelle? Are you… ready?" Estelle nodded, a smile on her face. They were in her room, the man hanging over the balcony, trying to teach the princess how to climb down the lattice. "Alright, if you say so…" A smirk covered the man's face, and Estelle's heart raced, cherishing the simple expression. "The most important thing is to find you footing. If you don't, your feet will give out—you can always pull yourself up with your arms, but I honestly question if you're strong enough." The pink-haired girl gave him a look and he chuckled. "Let me show you. Then, you try. That way I'll be down there to catch you in case you fall." As the capable man climbed down easily, Estelle watched with fascination. He expertly gripped the lattice, avoiding the thorny roses and was at the bottom of the castle in a matter of seconds. "Don't go too fast, 'kay? Take your time!" _

_Estelle rolled her eyes and clambered out onto the balcony and grabbed at the alabaster trellis, suddenly feeling butterflies burst in her stomach. Her arms felt shaky and unstable, and she nervously glanced down at the ground, giving herself a bout of vertigo. She shook her head furiously and began the slow trek down, taking sharp, uneven breaths and constantly getting poked by the velvety red roses. After climbing for what felt like ages, the girl looked down again—a fatal mistake. Overwhelmed by how far she still had to go, the princess misjudged the distance of the next foothold and overshot it. Her feet went flying out from under her and her gloves—which were now slick from her sweat—slipped easily away from the lattice, sending her frantic body flying to the earth with alarming speed. Estelle closed her eyes and waited to feel the ground on her back, not knowing what the pain would feel like… Instead, though, strong arms captured her, keeping her from hitting the ground. "Are you crazy, Estelle?" an angry voice asked her. "You can't keep looking down like that; it'll mess with your head." She was plopped onto the grass and the princess looked up at her savior._

"_I'm so sorry, I just wanted—" She was stopped by the man's lips. He backed her up against the castle's wall and smothered her with his mouth. Estelle let her hands tangle in his dark hair, felt his hands trap her between the wall and himself. She felt him pick her up, not breaking the kiss, and carry her back to the room. Estelle felt him lie her on the bed and pull at her clothes, stripping off his own shirt and falling on top of her. She stopped kissing him, only for a moment, to catch her breath, and then felt the man whom she loved, and only him…_

The princess marched determinedly to the Lower Quarter, pulling the cloak tightly around herself. The wind was biting at her face and it sent a chill down her body. She shivered violently and walked faster, wanting to be out of this cold and in his arms. As Estelle came to the stairs that led into the Lower Quarter, however, she halted, remembering their last meeting here…

_Estelle's eyes stayed dry as she watched the man go. He had to help the Guild in some way and couldn't stay—she, on the other hand, was forced to remain by the Council's orders. Ioder had pleaded with them to let her go, but their stance held firm and the princess was told she was never to leave Zaphias unless explicitly asked. Suddenly, a yell aroused in her in throat, and she found herself calling out to the man with the dark hair, running after him. "Please… be safe. And come back soon." The swordsman lifted Estelle's chin with his finger and looked into her eyes._

_ "I'll be back. Don't worry." He kissed her lightly on the forehead and then turned to go, walking slowly and occasionally turning back to look at her. Estelle could only stand there hopelessly, watching her lover walk away._

Estelle shook herself out of the remembrance and kept making her way to the Lower Quarter. She was walking bravely along until she saw the building that held his room; stopping in her tracks, the princess couldn't help but remember his return…

_It had been weeks. Weeks since he had left her in Zaphias to go fight some unknown evil. The man hadn't written or contacted her while the rest of her friends had sent her heaps of information, detailing their adventures and telling her how they missed her—all while the swordsman had not sent a single scrap of paper to her. Estelle felt the resentment building in her, but tried to push it away. Every time she got letters she would hope his name would be on one; but it never was. The princess felt cheated, used. She had given him everything, told him everything. And what had she got in return? A hasty good-bye and no contact. She eventually stopped reading the letters and burned them all in her fireplace, the anguish flooding and overflowing within her. However, on one such occasion, Estelle didn't notice the door opening and the soft tread of her lover's boots on her floor._

_ "Estelle…? What are you doing?" She turned, eyes puffy and red and full of tears to look at him. "Are those their letters that you're burning?" Disappointment slid into his voice, but Estelle was too furious to care._

_ "So what if they are? It's not like a letter from _you_ is in here." She laced the statement with so much hatred the man actually recoiled. "You couldn't be bothered to write me a single letter—why should I bother to read all their drabble about the fantastical adventures you guys are having _without_ me?" Estelle's voice was slowly rising; she could actually feel herself starting to lose control. When the man tried to embrace her, she pushed him off and fully exploded. "I can't believe they would leave me! How could they just go off without me and not care at all? Don't they care at all? Don't you know how lonely I am, here all alone with only the books to keep me company? Did you know that I've read them _all_ and that I'd like a friend once in a while? Did you know that I'm kept locked up in this castle _without_ you? DID YOU?" Estelle's eyes were flooding, tears running down her face at an alarming speed. Her face was bright red as she shrieked at her lover, letting out all the frustrations that had plagued her while he had been away, meeting people and seeing the world._

_ "Estelle, I…" he began, eyes wide in shock._

_ "_No_," she cut in. "I don't want to hear anything you've got to say." The princess sprinted out of her room and ran all the way to the library and bawled, crying herself to sleep…_

Estelle's eyes brimmed with tears as she remembered how she yelled at him—the man she loved more than herself. She hastily wiped them away and sucked in a huge breath of air, mustering up the courage to move towards the building. After her first few steps, the princess saw a dog-like shape approach her. "Repede?" she called out cautiously. The dog turned his head towards her and came plodding closer, sniffing the air. When he realized it was her, the dog approached the pink-haired girl. "He must be here…" she mumbled. Repede whined and Estelle looked at him curiously. "What do you want…?" The dog nuzzled her forward and began pushing her towards the building. Estelle understood what he was doing and marched bravely to the edifice. She went up the stairs and stopped just outside his room, suddenly filled with dread…

_ The two lovers sat there, awkwardly. They were in Estelle's room, two days after the princess's blow up. She sat in the plush chair, reading, while the man stood by the bed, arms crossed. Estelle had greeted him when he walked in, but out rightly refused to speak to him—or even look at him. The princess knew she was being unreasonable, but she frankly didn't care. The fury was still bubbling within the pit of her stomach and the swordsman coming to visit her had just made it worse. He had tried to make conversation several times, but Estelle hadn't answered him. She didn't notice, but her lover was slowly beginning to fume. Soon he was about to burst and couldn't hold his rage in any longer. "Look, I don't know _what_ your problem is, but when you're ready to fix this _issue_ you have, come find me. I'll be there when you're back to being yourself instead of this moody bag of nothing."_

_ The man walked toward the door and slammed it sharply, causing the paintings on Estelle's wall to tremble. She, in turn, slammed her book down and went about the room seething and turning down all the photos of the swordsman and herself, even throwing some across the room…_

The pink-haired girl couldn't stop the tears, once again. They trailed down her face freely as she stood in front of his door, silently bawling. Estelle was about to turn around and go home, convinced he would never take her back, when the door opened to reveal the swordsman, standing there in his ruggedly-stylish way, head cocked to the side with his hand on his hip. A silence filled the space between them, the man simply looking at the girl, whose face was blotchy and tear-stained. He opened his mouth to speak, when Estelle spoke suddenly.

"Yuri." She said his name—just his name. It had been the first time the princess had said, or even thought, his name in months, and it felt familiar on her tongue; as if her mouth had missed the word and was treasured to have to it back. His eyes softened at once and Estelle burst into fresh tears. "Yuri. I'm so sorry. I don't know why I acted the way I did. It was unacceptable of a friend and if there's any way I can make it up to you, please let me know. I couldn't let you leave without saying this, but if you could accept my humblest apologies, I would be so grateful…" Estelle's words ran together; she barely took a breath the entire time with how nervous she was. After saying this she looked up anxiously at Yuri to see if he could ever forgive her…

"Estelle…" Yuri seemed to caress her name as he said it, gazing softly at her. "There's no way I could stay mad at you… I care for you too much." Yuri shook his head and looked back into her eyes. "The question really is… Will you forgive me for leaving you and not staying to help you?" Estelle's eyes widened and her mouth dropped opened a little. He had forgiven her, just like that, and was now asking for forgiveness he didn't need? He had done nothing wrong. The princess was terribly confused, but knew she could ask him what he had meant later. She slowly smiled and nodded.

The two of them looked at each other, examining the other's features, remembering. Yuri's dark gray eyes were filled with passion and happiness, an almost elated sense rolling off of him in waves. Estelle's green eyes, still brimming with tears, found a way to sparkle in the total blackness of the night, her pink hair being tousled by the wind. With a sudden realization, they both knew what they wanted…

Yuri pulled Estelle into a tight embrace, dragging her into his room and closing the door. She wrapped her arms around him never wanting to let go, memories flooding back to her of all the content times they had spent together, and how that meant so much more to her than the bad.

Slowly and tentatively, the two broke apart, gazing once more into each other's eyes. Yuri leaned in hesitantly and Estelle met his lips with her own. The kiss was soft at first, easy and unhurried; but as their mouths became familiar once more, the kiss evolved into something more. Estelle's hands went to Yuri's hair, and his tore off her cloak, gripping the small of her back. The gesture was subtle, but made Estelle crave for more, and she found herself pulling off Yuri's shirt. He tore off her dress and she fell on his small bed, him quickly coming on top. Their kiss continued just until Estelle needed air… and then it went on to be even more.

**Author's Note: Estelle and Yuri seem a little OOC. :I Inspired by the song "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" by Celine Dion. To be honest, I don't think Yuri would ever leave Estelle alone quite like that, but I wanted to go with the song. Thanks for reading!**

**Cordially,**

**LadyFrederic**

6


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